Cinema

Netflix home-film distribution has seen a boom recently and our critic Nadine Shambrook blogs about why this such a good thing for the penny-minded, pound-clever movie lover.

There will be more from CineSocialUK about this, but what do you think? Would you swap the multiplex/indieplex for a nights in? Or do you think motion pictures are best viewed in the comfy dark of a cinema? Post your opinions below!

A cinema trip can be a nice treat, but home entertainment is the current in thing.

Let’s be honest, tickets at the cinema are pricey, there’s usually a glowing light in the distance of the dark screen from some idiot’s phone and sometimes there’s an annoying person talking. And that’s even if you can be bothered to leave the house!

Will increasing Netflix subscriptions spell the end of cinemas?

2018 has been the year of the ‘Netflix original’. There have been over 60 original films distributed by Netflix, along with originals on Amazon Prime, NowTV and other streaming services. Pop your own popcorn in the microwave, turn off the lights and watch on your very own home cinema screen.

This new way to watch the latest movies is only going to continue into 2019 and, more than likely, the Netflix original is going to have an even bigger year. Sooner or later Netflix films will be recognised for awards and a lot already premiere at festivals.

Alfonso Cuarón’s (Gravity, Children of Men) black and white family drama Roma, which premiered at the 75th Venice International Film Festival, will be distributed by Netflix during December this year and the latest film by the Coen brothers, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, premiered on Netflix this weekend. You don’t even have to leave your house to see some of the latest films from acclaimed directors.

Also in December is Andy Serkis’ Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, his second directorial effort that is a darker retelling of Rudyard Kipling’s classic novel (not like the Disney adaptations) and Sandra Bullock is back in post-apocalyptic thriller Bird Box.

If you’re stuck for what to watch at home, here are our recommendations of some of 2018’s best films on Netflix, for whatever mood you’re in for:

Rom Com: Set It Up

Sci-fi: Annihilation

Musical: Been So Long

Teen Chick Flick: To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before

Teen Sex Comedy: The Package

Christmas Cheese: The Holiday Calendar

Teen Sex Comedy: The Package

Indie Rom Com: Happy Anniversary

Action Comedy: Game Over, Man!

Western: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs

Thriller: Hold the Dark

Horror: Apostle

Period Drama: Outlaw King

A lot of these are watchable and worth your time, but unlike visiting the cinema if you’re not feeling a film on Netflix you can stop, choose something new and not waste £12 on a ticket.

Some say streaming services like these will be negative for film entertainment, but I think they’re reviving the way we watch films.

At the moment, the cinema is still the place to see the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe instalment and Star Wars hit, and it will be here that I will see the films tipped for award glory in January and February.

But there’s something so special about a new film from the comfort of your own home.